Lifeboat: The Book

WHy Lifeboat?

"A year ago I was feeling alone -- and not really sure why. I didn't realize I had retreated from my friends until Lifeboat came along to remind me. I started small with some of the practices and I felt a change. I realized quickly that sustaining adult friendships can and should be taught. "

We heard this kind of sentiment over and over after launching Lifeboat.

Did you know . . . The average American adult reports having only one real friend.

Paradoxically, in an age of Facebook and always-on connections, a growing body of science is proving what we already feel deep in our gut: we’re actually lonelier and more isolated than ever before.

The solution isn’t to retreat from the web. Indeed, it’s time to rethink what friendship means in adulthood for a better path forward.

In Lifeboat: The Book -- more the 3 years in the making -- you'll find a unique guide into uncharted relationship territory: academic research, philosophy, expert advice and insights from the authors' own heads and hearts.

You won't find grand solutions or complex schemes, but instead, simple things that work. It's unique content on the art and science of friendship — full of inspiration, learning and practice. It’s designed to help you move beyond fast-food-friendships. For those who choose it, Lifeboat is a pathway to living more fully with friends.

About the authors

FROM THE HEARTS and Minds of Tim Walker & ALia MCKee

About the authors

FROM THE HEARTS and Minds of Tim Walker & ALia MCKee

Lifeboat began as an unlikely adventure for two Brooklyn 30-somethings—spirited, outgoing professionals—who woke up one day to find themselves mired in a mid-life friendship slump. Together, they set out on a journey: to discover what friendship in adulthood really means—transforming themselves from social-but-unsatisfied, fast-food-friendship junkies into self-assured friendship pioneers.

Along the way, Tim and Alia’s personal quest grew into something more. In February 2013, backed by a volunteer network of colleagues and comrades, they brought Lifeboat online to share their story and learnings about the art and science of friendship, and to help transform an idea into a movement.

Finally, in May 2015, they published Lifeboat: The Book as a culmination of their work—a field guide to friendship like no other in the world. Anchored around 12 simple steps, it provides a guilt-free, profoundly practical path to living more fully friends.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT:

Checkout Lifeboat FEATURED in . . . .

REPORt: THE FRIENDSHIP crisis

Only a quarter of adults report being truly satisfied with their friendships. And almost two-thirds lack confidence in even their closest friends. Facing this, most Americans — by more than 2 to 1 — say they’d prefer to have deeper friendships than more friends.

Packed with fascinating (and quirky) insights from the front lines of friendship, this report is helping kickstart an important conversation — about how to be better, get deeper and live more fully with friends. Let’s get talking.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. Most people are not fully satisfied with or secure about the state of their friendships.

2. Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers exhibit markedly lower levels of overall satisfaction with their friendships than do Millennials and Seniors, indicating a mid-life friendships slump.

3. People who say they have more close friends are happier and more fulfilled in life than those who say they have fewer or none. Most people, given the choice, would prefer deeper friendships to having more friends.

4. The qualities most people look for in friends are markedly similar across demographics, including gender, age, race, and geography. Most people want friends who are loyal, are good people, and who will be there for them in a crisis. Among attributes considered least important are physical attractiveness, similar political views, and similar religious views.

5. Women say they have access to more intimate friendships, but they are no happier than men with the state of their friendships.

6. Use of social media is probably not a factor one way or the other in the quality of one’s friendships or one’s overall friendship satisfaction.

7. Those seeking more fulfillment from their friendships should invest disproportionate time and energy in the relationships they consider close.

3 Special Goodies

BeyonD THE BOOK, We don't like to pick favorites. but here are three extra Goodies for ya . . .

3 Special Goodies

BeyonD THE BOOK, We don't like to pick favorites. but here are three extra Goodies for ya . . .